This invention relates to a device for converting the voltage from a low-voltage source to a high voltage. There is an unmet need for a charge-pump voltage converter that can produce moderate voltages (a few kV or less) from low-voltage inputs such as may commonly occur in microelectromechanical systems (MEMS). Traditional charge-pump voltage converter designs are not compatible with fabrication on the same dimensional scale as MEMS devices, and are therefore not able to address this need.